Brussels, June 28 2017. Proposals to regulate a new multi-billion euro EU fund aimed at driving more private investment in development have just [June 28] been agreed by the European Parliament, Member States and the European Commission. But campaigners say although the proposed safeguards in the External Investment Plan are a step in the right direction, there is a risk that billions of euros of tax payers’ money will benefit big multinational corporations at the expense of the people in poverty ...

New figures show the poorest countries could miss out due to weak aid rules. Brussels, April 11 2017. New global aid figures released today [April 11] have been criticised by campaigners as evidence that rules governing aid aren’t working. According to the European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad), proposed changes to the rules could actually make things worse. The Official Development Assistance (ODA) figures, compiled by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) ...

Brussels, March 20 2017 Campaigners pushing for strong anti-money laundering measures say the “Global Laundromat” scandal shows just why the EU must take urgent action. Just as the EU is about to enter the final stages of negotiations over whether or not to ban anonymous trusts and shell companies, Eurodad (European Network on Debt and Development) says the scandal reveals why member states must ensure greater transparency around the ownership of companies and trusts.Tonight [March ...

Brussels, March 15 2016. Eurodad (European Network on Debt and Development) has condemned the revised sentences handed down by a court in Luxembourg today [March 15] after the retrial of LuxLeaks whistleblowers Antoine Deltour and Raphaël Halet. Although the new sentences (six months' suspended jail and a €1500 fine for Deltour and a €1000 fine for Halet) are less harsh than those imposed at the first trial, where the former PwC employees were sentenced to twelve and nine months’ suspended ...

BRUSSELS, 28 FEBRUARY 2017 Members of the European Parliament agreed today to strengthen the Anti-Money Laundering Directive, a crucial tool for both the EU and third countries in the fight against corruption and tax abuse. The European Parliament has agreed with the European Commission’s proposal calling for public disclosure of information about who really owns and controls EU companies. MEPs also went beyond the European Commission’s proposal and are calling for the public disclosure of ...

• The boycott was launched after the World Bank ignored repeated calls for the Bank to stop promoting PPPs that contain dangerous hidden debts. • Most governments leave these costs out of the accounting books, which can lead to crippling hidden debt – especially damaging for world’s poorest countries. • See ‘Notes to Editors’ for examples of disastrous PPPs. 27 February 2017 Trade unions and campaigners from around the world are boycotting the latest World Bank consultation on PPPs, ...

New report analyses developments across Europe and finds: Since the LuxLeaks scandal, the amount of secret ‘sweetheart deals’ between multinational corporations and European governments has increased by almost 50% Mapping of government positions show political support for transparency has grown, but challenges remainEuropean governments continue to sign controversial tax treaties that undermine taxation in developing countriesAmong the 18 countries analysed in the report, not a single government ...

20 December 2016 In response to the Panama Papers, the European Commission has suggested a crackdown on shell companies by creating transparency around the true owners of companies. But today, EU Member States agreed on a negotiating mandate where they reject this idea, and instead opt to keep the status quo. Currently, the EU only requires Member States to grant citizens access to information about company ownership if they can demonstrate a ‘legitimate interest’ in the information. Tove Maria ...

***Press Conference Monday 12 December*** 12.30pm - 1pm (in English); 1pm - 1.30pm (in French) Venue: Novotel Luxembourg Centre, 35 Rue du Laboratoire, 1911 Luxembourg. More than one hundred campaigners from 20 countries across Europe will be in Luxembourg to call for the protection of whistleblowers when the men who exposed the LuxLeaks scandal appear in court again next week. On 12 December, former PWC employees Antoine Deltour and Raphaël Halet, and journalist Edouard Perrin, will return ...

Media Advisory: International conference on responsible taxation in development finance What: Pierre Moscovici, European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, will kick off this conference on establishing responsible tax standards for Development Finance Institutions such as the European Investment Bank, the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation and national institutions. Speakers will include government officials from the Global South and North, UN ...